Holy hell. In the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about quantum physics, the observer effect, the double slit experiment, how misunderstanding leads to a lot of confusion, quantum woo, quantum mysticism. Ive literally been practicing how to explain these things to a lay person. That, for instance, the observer effect, it has nothing to do with a human observing.
Anyhow, hello from my equally nerdy side of the universe.
Please tell me how you explain it without just reading the wiki directly to them. Also the observer effect is so crazy that it keeps me up tonight. I feel like I’m in a simulation because it doesn’t make sense to me.
I dont understand everything about quantum physics. I’m trying to learn. It reminds me about chaos theory and the properties of closed dynamic systems.
Rough analogy. Imagine a small fresh water aquarium. Exact size, always same location. Indoors, water temperature same. Same terrain on the bottom. Only 4 fish, simple behavior.
If you try to predict where a certain fish will be at an exact time, can do so with high accuracy.
But now… aquarium can change size. Freshwater. Saltwater. Sometimes indoors, other times outside. More effected by external forces. And fish behavior is way more complicated. At one temp, fish is a gas. Another temp, solid. Another fish in one setting behaves as particle , other settings, as a wave.
There’s also a chaotic element in the aquarium, randomness, chance.
Try to predict the exact physical location of a specific fish at a specific point in time… you can’t. What you can do is track patterns, trends over time. Expressed mathematically, you take into account various variables, environmental forces, etc. End result: equation says that a specific fish’s location at a specific point in time is a range of possible locations, possible states.
Some people incorrectly think us observing the fish causes it to be at that location. Nope.
This abstract superimposed multiple states thing is a math concept. But this can be confused with a separate tenet of quantum physics, the observer effect.
First double slit experiment was 1800s. Proved light was both particle and wave. In 1900s, scientists recreated this experiment with other elements. Electrons, etc. They realized other elements behaved the same. In one experiment, trying to figure out what was causing this behavior, they built tiny detectors, put it at one of the slits. Electron(?) stopped behaving as a wave, behaved as a particle. They removed the detector, wave behavior resumed.
The observer effect has nothing to do with human observation, human perception. All it means, when something is measured, it can change.
Here in the larger macro world, you’ve got a beam of wood. Get a tape measure to measure it. Hook metal tab at one end, run tape along wood to other end.
Rough analogy here… when tape measure hooks onto wood edge, a few molecules are shaved off. But it’s so infinitesimal. Doesn’t matter. But descend into quantum realm, where stuff is way tiny, and the tiny difference becomes huge.
So, with our limited scientific knowledge, we measure stuff, it changes it. Cuz of the clumsiness, imprecision of our instruments.
Semantically, observer effect can mean, anytime 2 things meet, they can effect each other. If a tree falls in the forest and no humans to witness it, it still makes a sound.
No idea if I’m understanding any of this correctly.
Holy hell. In the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about quantum physics, the observer effect, the double slit experiment, how misunderstanding leads to a lot of confusion, quantum woo, quantum mysticism. Ive literally been practicing how to explain these things to a lay person. That, for instance, the observer effect, it has nothing to do with a human observing.
Anyhow, hello from my equally nerdy side of the universe.
Please tell me how you explain it without just reading the wiki directly to them. Also the observer effect is so crazy that it keeps me up tonight. I feel like I’m in a simulation because it doesn’t make sense to me.
I dont understand everything about quantum physics. I’m trying to learn. It reminds me about chaos theory and the properties of closed dynamic systems.
Rough analogy. Imagine a small fresh water aquarium. Exact size, always same location. Indoors, water temperature same. Same terrain on the bottom. Only 4 fish, simple behavior.
If you try to predict where a certain fish will be at an exact time, can do so with high accuracy.
But now… aquarium can change size. Freshwater. Saltwater. Sometimes indoors, other times outside. More effected by external forces. And fish behavior is way more complicated. At one temp, fish is a gas. Another temp, solid. Another fish in one setting behaves as particle , other settings, as a wave.
There’s also a chaotic element in the aquarium, randomness, chance.
Try to predict the exact physical location of a specific fish at a specific point in time… you can’t. What you can do is track patterns, trends over time. Expressed mathematically, you take into account various variables, environmental forces, etc. End result: equation says that a specific fish’s location at a specific point in time is a range of possible locations, possible states.
Some people incorrectly think us observing the fish causes it to be at that location. Nope.
This abstract superimposed multiple states thing is a math concept. But this can be confused with a separate tenet of quantum physics, the observer effect.
First double slit experiment was 1800s. Proved light was both particle and wave. In 1900s, scientists recreated this experiment with other elements. Electrons, etc. They realized other elements behaved the same. In one experiment, trying to figure out what was causing this behavior, they built tiny detectors, put it at one of the slits. Electron(?) stopped behaving as a wave, behaved as a particle. They removed the detector, wave behavior resumed.
The observer effect has nothing to do with human observation, human perception. All it means, when something is measured, it can change.
Here in the larger macro world, you’ve got a beam of wood. Get a tape measure to measure it. Hook metal tab at one end, run tape along wood to other end.
Rough analogy here… when tape measure hooks onto wood edge, a few molecules are shaved off. But it’s so infinitesimal. Doesn’t matter. But descend into quantum realm, where stuff is way tiny, and the tiny difference becomes huge.
So, with our limited scientific knowledge, we measure stuff, it changes it. Cuz of the clumsiness, imprecision of our instruments.
Semantically, observer effect can mean, anytime 2 things meet, they can effect each other. If a tree falls in the forest and no humans to witness it, it still makes a sound.
No idea if I’m understanding any of this correctly.
Sorry it took this long to reply. This message was daunting for an ADHD mind like myself.
Thanks for all this insight. I honestly learn alot from this.